TRADESHOWGYPSYs that’s who! If you have ever worked with a corporate entity on shows or hosted events for a large group you know how talented you have to be to make a show/event happen. You are a program manager, project manager, buyer (vendor), vendor manager, site selector, negotiator, sales, marketing (all aspects of marketing), VIP assistant, technical sales (you know what products are in your booth or are showcased at the event), budget manager, and then just your regular show/event manager to make sure the timing of everything kicks off correctly even if it means using your own carpentry skills.Don’t let anyone pigeon-hole you into a category of “you JUST do shows”; there is no such thing! Coordinating all the staff and travel schedules is another area of expertise that takes quite a bit of finesse especially if International dignitaries or VIPs are involved, there can be clearances that need to be managed and don’t even get me started on custom’s for shippers! You are also often the first line of Voice of the Customer – they will ask for you on the show floor and unload good or bad.

I heard a manager telling his events manager that he should be glad that he gets to travel with such a great team of sales staff. I noted a look of disgust and made it a point to stop by this event manager’s booth and ask him how things were going. He was so frustrated with his staff being absent and non-helpful and treating him like a servant that he quit right there on the show floor. He was packing his laptop when I came to his booth. I asked him if we could chat before he left. We did and I hope he felt better about everything he did, as when we spoke he really did feel as though, shows were such a lame career direction he had taken and he was questioning his skill set entirely. FYI-honorable mention…you know who you are, congrats on the latest gypsy role!

Being the Tradeshowgypsy that I am I believe in shows and know that face-to-face discussions generate a long-term business deal and can really establish an organization in the rankings of status and brand or provide vendors/attendees with much-needed human interaction. But, I also know that hosting events in any capacity takes a huge variance of skills and certain mentality to deal with continual change, critical/creative thinking, and personalities.

Now more than ever before shows have taken such a bad hit because of a variety of abuses that have taken place. Event hosts and managers have to include upper-level negotiation skills with their internal groups to get events approved and through a number of divisions. Hosting organizations have to wait longer periods of time to get confirmations or have to send specific details very early on to get them through the systems.

None of the gypsy skills are to be taken lightly as there are a number of other positions within organizations that do not require near the level of skill and are regarded as a higher position. What I am saying here gypsies, is Don’t Sell Yourself Short! Keep track of all of those little details that you have to add in and those discussions that take place and who you are now working with to get events internal/external off the ground. Make sure you are beating that tambourine hard and loud for yourself, no one else will and the will cast you off to a quiet corner.

Keep your skill levels up as well, as social media and web marketing are every bit a part of the position as well and if you haven’t been engaged with this leaving it to the “web department” get ready because that has also been added to your task list! Figure out how to get training through your organizations or from your library or community college.

I know gypsies, as if you had nothing to do but shine the silver buckles on your shoes or rearrange the tarot deck…now you have to justify your gypsy existence! Make your case a good one and make sure you add in every single one of those skills to those performance reviews too!